Fallout shelter



July 28, 1964 P. E. ADEN 3,142,271

FALLOUT SHELTER Filed Feb. 27. 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I -J zc u J J INVENTOR. Peri/Man,

ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent cc 3,142,271 FALLOUT SHELTER Per E. Aden, 252 Ontario St., Buffalo, NY. Filed Feb. 27, 1961, Ser. No. 92,040 2 Claims. (Cl. 109-1) This invention relates to building structures and more particularly to a building structure which is convertible so that in one form it may be used for various everyday purposes while in converted form it serves as a shelter or protective structure against bomb damage, atomic fallout, or other hazards of this general nature.

A variety of shelters have been proposed to protect people against the dangers of bombing, atomic fallout and other wartime hazards. The design of structures of this general class has reached a fairly high state of development and probable efficiency. However, a very strong deterent against general acceptance of these important precautionary structures by the public at large has been the high cost involved in building a structure whose ultimate use for its intended purpose is highly problematical. In fact, the likelihood that such a structure will ever be used as a bomb shelter or a fallout shelter is fairly remote.

Accordingly, people are loath to make the substantial investment required to provide such a shelter merely as insurance against hazards which are not very immediate or pressing. On the other hand, a shelter of this type cannot be constructed overnight and unless it is provided well in advance of any actual warning of danger it will not be available when needed.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a defense shelter which, in addition to its important and immediate availability in an emergency, is useful in various peacetime pursuits or for various non-emergency purposes. The structure of the present invention is well suited to perform its emergency protective function by a conversion which may be effected practically instantaneously if there is no advance notice, and by a more complete conversion requiring only a brief addition time if such time is available.

Nevertheless, the same structure, without such conversion, is suitable for use in various ways, such as a recreational building which may serve as a summer lodge, a playhouse, a beach or bath house, or in other ways. The fact that the structure is thus usable apart from its emergency, problematical use as a defense shelter is a strong inducement to the public to avail themselves of such structures and accordingly the present invention serves an important function in the critical field of civil defense.

It is well recognized in this art that an overhead cover comprising a relatively thick layer of crushed stone, gravel or similar loose material, suitably supported, affords excellent protection against bomb damage, concussion, atomic fallout, and similar dangers incident to military attack. The present invention provides means whereby a body of such material is readily available and is normally in a position to serve as a partial cover for the shelter. Furthermore, the arrangement is such that upon conversion of the structure for defense use the loose material may quickly be spread over the remainder of the overhead surface of the structure.

A specific embodiment of the principles of the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in detail in the following specification. However, it is to be understood that such embodiment is by way of example and to illustrate the principles of the invention. The invention is not limited in scope to the form thus disclosed, nor otherwise than as defined in the appended claims.

3,142,271 Patented July 28, 1964 In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a general perspective view of one form of the convertible building structure of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken approximately on the line II-II of FIG. 1 with the structure in unconverted condition;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view on the line IIIIII of FIG. 1 with the structure in a converted condition for use as a defense shelter;

FIG. 4 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken approximately on the line IV IV of FIG. 3

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of a movable slab member of the form of structure illustrated herein; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken approximately on the line VV of FIG. 3.

Like characters of reference denote like parts throughout the several figures of the drawings and referring particularly to FIG. 4, the numerals 10 through 13 designate relatively thick rigid side walls of a building structure, the floor or bases thereof being indicated at 14 in FIGS. 2 and 3. The side walls 10 through 13 will usually be of masonry or reinforced concrete or like highly rigid and shock-proof construction and in the present instance virtually the entire side wall and floor structure is below the ground, surrounding earth being indicated at 16 in FIGS. 2 and 3. The building may be constructed above ground or partly beneath the ground level and earth may then be banked up along the sides to the general level indicated in FIGS. 2 and 3.

A further vertical masonry wall 17 is spaced inwardly of wall 11 sufficiently to form an entrance corridor 18 and it will be noted from FIG. 4 that the walls 10, 12, 13 and 17 define a chamber which comprises the protective enclosure of the structure of the present invention. Access to entrance corridor 18 in the present instance is had by a stairway 20, the lower end of which is adjacent to wall 12 whereby the parallel walls 11 and 17 form a tortuous entry passage to the chamber defined by the Walls 10, 12, 13 and 17.

A superposed oblong box-like structure is identified generally in FIG. 1 by the numeral 22 and the end walls thereof in the present instance form upward continuations of the chamber defining walls 13 and 17. The upward extension of wall 17 in the box-like structure is designated 23 in FIG. 1 and in FIGS. 2 and 3 the bottom wall of box-like structure 22 is designated 24. The box-like structure is generally of heavy masonry, reinforced concrete or similar construction, particularly as to bottom wall 24 thereof.

A pair of rails 25 securely supported at their ends in the chamber walls 10 and 12 extend horizontally beneath the box-like structure 22 a sufficient distance to accommodate a pair of relatively heavy slabs 26 which may also be of masonry or reinforced concrete. Slabs 26 are elongate, as shown in FIG. 5, so that in their lengthwise direction they span the distance between the walls 13 and 17, whereas in their width directions they are adapted to lie in generally edge to edge relationship beneath the bottom wall 24 of box-like structure 22. Slabs 26 are provided at their end faces with rollers 28 which run on the tracks 25 so that the slabs may be moved from the position of non-use shown in FIG. 2 to the positions shown in FIG. 3 wherein they cooperate with bottom wall 24 of box-like structure 22 to form a relatively massive rough slab structure over the chamber therebeneath. Cable means 30 may extend from the un dersides of the slabs 26 over pulleys adjacent to the in teriors of the walls 10 and 12 and thence downwardly to facilitate moving the slabs to and from their operative positions.

As shown in FIG. 2, the box-like structure 22 contains loose material which may be crushed stone or gravel, as indicated at 31 and the side walls of the box-like structure 22 are provided with doors 32 which are preferably hinged at their lower ends so that they may be readily swung downwardly as shown in FIG. 3 so that a portion of the loose fill material 31 may quickly be shoveled or spread over atop the slabs 26, as shown in FIG. 3, to complete a highly effective protective shelter against the eflfects of bombing, atomic fallout and other hazards of this general nature.

The box-like structure 22 may be provided with a temporary cover, as indicated at 34 in FIGS. 2 and 3, and the numeral 35 in FIGS. 2 and 3 shows cover members hinged to the upper edges of Walls and 12 which may be moved to the dot and dash line positions of FIGS. 2 and 3 (the full line position being shown in FIG. 1) to afford shelter against the weather when the structure is being used as a peace-time structure for various purposes. If desired the cover members 35 may be of glass to keep out the weather while admitting light to the chamber within the structure.

The corridor portion 18 is preferably also provided with a protective overhead structure similar to that provided for the chamber proper. A slab type ceiling over such aisle space 18 may be disposed generally at the same elevation as the bottom 24 of the box-like structure 22 or at the level of the movable slabs 26. In either event, the loose material covering deposited on the slabs 26 as shown in FIG. 3 will preferably likewise be deposited upon the slab which forms the ceiling member of aisle space 18.

I claim:

1. A building structure convertible for use as a defense shelter, said structure comprising a generally subterranean dwelling chamber having relatively shock-proof sidewalls, a box-like structure fixed to and supported at opposite ends by the upper portions of the walls of said subterranean chamber, said fixed box-like structure extending across the upper portion of said building structure in one direction but terminating substantially short thereof in the other direction to leave overhead openings along opposite sides of said box-like structure, said box-like structure having bottom and side walls comprising slabs of rigid material and said subterranean chamber side walls likewise comprising slabs of rigid material, track means extending across the upper portion of said subterranean chamber at right angles to said fixed box-like structure and beneath the same, and a pair of slabs of rigid material normally underlying said box-like structure but movable on said track means to close the aforesaid openings along opposite sides of said box-like structure.

2. A building structure convertible for use as a defense shelter, said structure comprising a generally subterranean dwelling chamber having relatively shock-proof sidewalls, a box-like structure fixed to and supported at opposite ends by the upper portions of the walls of said subterranean chamber, said fixed box-like structure extending across the upper portion of said building structure in one direction but terminating substantially short thereof in the other direction to leave overhead openings along opposite sides of said box-like structure, said box-like structure having bottom and side Walls comprising slabs of rigid material and said subterranean chamber side Walls likewise comprising slabs of rigid material, track means extending across the upper portion of said subterranean chamber at right angles to said fixed box-like structure and beneath the same, and a pair of slabs of rigid material normally underlying said box-like structure but movable on said track means to close the aforesaid openings along opposite sides of said box-like structure, said boxlike structure being adapted to contain crushed stone or similar material, portions of the side walls thereof being movable to permit ready transfer of a portion of such material to be transferred to the tops of said movable slabs when they are in their outward positions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,653,468 Rowles Sept. 29, 1953 2,726,339 Borst Dec. 6, 1955 2,977,723 Rudinger Apr. 4, 1961 

1. A BUILDING STRUCTURE CONVERTIBLE FOR USE AS A DEFENSE SHELTER, SAID STRUCTURE COMPRISING A GENERALLY SUBTERRANEAN DWELLING CHAMBER HAVING RELATIVELY SHOCK-PROOF SIDEWALLS, A BOX-LIKE STRUCTURE FIXED TO AND SUPPORTED AT OPPOSITE ENDS BY THE UPPER PORTIONS OF THE WALLS OF SAID SUBTERRANEAN CHAMBER, SAID FIXED BOX-LIKE STRUCTURE EXTENDING ACROSS THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID BUILDING STRUCTURE IN ONE DIRECTION BUT TERMINATING SUBSTANTIALLY SHORT THEREOF IN THE OTHER DIRECTION TO LEAVE OVERHEAD OPENINGS ALONG OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID BOX-LIKE STRUCTURE, SAID BOX-LIKE STRUCTURE HAVING BOTTOM AND SIDE WALLS COMPRISING SLABS OF RIGID MATERIAL AND SAID SUBTERRANEAN CHAMBER SIDE WALLS LIKEWISE COMPRISING SLABS OF RIGID MATERIAL, TRACK MEANS EXTENDING ACROSS THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID SUBTERRANEAN CHAMBER AT RIGHT ANGLES TO SAID FIXED BOX-LIKE STRUCTURE AND BENEATH THE SAME, AND A PAIR OF SLABS OF RIGID MATERIAL NORMALLY UNDERLYING SAID BOX-LIKE STRUCTURE BUT MOVABLE ON SAID TRACK MEANS TO CLOSE THE AFORESAID OPENINGS ALONG OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID BOX-LIKE STRUCTURE. 